Sherlock Holmes Complete Works 1

Chapter 78 Adventure History 38
"In my opinion, Mrs. Rucastle's appearance and thoughts are very ordinary. She neither gave me a particularly good impression, nor did she leave a particularly bad impression on me. It can be said that she is a very ordinary person, very It is easy to see that she loves her husband and son very much. Her pale gray eyes are constantly looking around to find out what little needs they have, and try to meet them, although in a somewhat rough way. Mr. Rucastle is also very good to his wife , they seemed to be a happy couple. But Mrs. Rucastle was often immersed in deep thought, with a sad face, as if her heart was full of sorrow. Many times I accidentally encountered her crying alone, I thought It was her son's naughtiness that made her so preoccupied. To be honest, I have never seen such a naughty little guy. He is either wild or sullen all day long. Torturing small animals seems to be his only pastime. .Oh, I guess I'll leave the little guy alone, he doesn't really have much to do with the matter."

"Whether you think they have anything to do with you or not, I am ready to hear all that you have to say," said Holmes.

"I try not to miss any important moment. The look and behavior of the servants in this house displeases me. There are only two servants in the family, a man and his wife. The man is called Tole, a rough, stupid, gray man. with hair and sideburns, and was often very drunk. Twice when I was with them he was very drunk, but Mr. Rucastle ignored it. His wife was tall, strong, hideous, and Mrs Rucastle was equally taciturn, but far less pleasant. They were the couple I hated the most. But, luckily, I spent most of my time in the nursery and in my own room. The houses are adjacent, all in one corner of this house.

"The first two days at Copper Beech were very quiet. But on the third day, after breakfast, Mrs Rucastle came downstairs and whispered something to her husband.

"'Ah, yes,' Mr. Rucastle turning to me presently, 'we thank you very much, Miss Hunter, for cutting your hair to accommodate us, but I am sure it does not detract from your appearance in the slightest. I Hope now to see how you fit in your iron blue suit. It lies on your bed, and we shall be more grateful if you will wear it.'

"The dress was of a peculiar dark blue, of a fine serge material, but recognizably old, and it fitted me perfectly, as if it had been made to my figure. Mr. and Mrs. Rucastle Very happy to see it, even over the top. They met me in the living room and sat me in a chair with my back to the window. The living room is very spacious and takes up the entire front half of the house, and my back is It was one of the three French windows. And then Mr. Rucastle was just pacing up and down the other side of the room and telling funny stories, the funny ones I'd never heard before, and it made my stomach ache from laughing. But Mrs Rucastle had no sense of humour, and did not even laugh, but sat upright with her hands on her knees, still looking sad and anxious. An hour passed like this, Lucas Mr. Er announced that he could start the day's work and asked me to change my clothes and go to the nursery to find little Edward.

"Two days later, the same show happened again. I was again asked to change clothes, sit by the window, and listen to my employer go on and on about his seemingly endless jokes. Then, he Gave me a novel with a yellow cover and moved my chair to the side to prevent me from covering the book. Then he asked me to read it aloud to him. I read it for about 10 minutes. Suddenly he called me When I stopped, I was in the middle of a sentence, and he asked me to change my clothes.

"Mr. Holmes, I cannot conceive of the point of such a performance. I noticed that during these performances they kept my back to the window, and this prompted me to wish to see what was going on behind the scenes. At first, it seemed very difficult, but I soon found a way. It happened that one of my hand mirrors was broken. I took a small piece of the mirror and hid it in a handkerchief. Laughing, holding the handkerchief up in front of my face, watching what's going on behind me. At first I was disappointed because I didn't see anything. But on a second look, I saw a man with a mustache standing on the side of the road in Southampton Looking here. He was leaning over the rail of our paddock, and looking very earnestly. Then I lowered my handkerchief and glanced at Mrs. Rucastle, who was looking at me piercingly. She said nothing. , but I believe she had guessed that I was holding a mirror, and that she had seen what was behind me, so she stood up immediately.

"'Jeffro,' she said, 'there's a dude peeping in on the road over there.'

"'Is this man your friend, Miss Hunter?' he asked.

"'No, I don't know anyone here.'

"'Oh, this man is so rude, please wave him away.'

"'I think it's better to ignore him.'

"'No, no, he'll hang around here a lot then, turn around, and wave him away like this, please.'

"I did as I was told, and then Mr Rucastle drew the curtain. This happened about a week ago, and I haven't worn that dress or sat at the window since. , and that man never appeared on the road again."

"Go on," said Holmes. "Your account is very interesting."

"On my first day in Copper Beech, Mr. Rucastle took me into a small outhouse off the kitchen. As we approached, I heard the clang of chains and some animal moving about in it. .

"'Look over here,' Mr. Rucastle told me, looking in through a chink in the planks, 'isn't it a charming thing?'

"Through the cracks in the boards, I saw a pair of bright eyes and a blurry body crouching in the darkness.

"'Don't be afraid,' said my employer, laughing at my astonishment, 'that's Carlo, and it belongs to Tolle rather than to me, and he alone can keep it under control. Feed him only once a day so that he is always hot like mustard. Tolle let him out every night, if anyone dares to break in, then only God bless you. Please remember , don't cross that threshold at night for whatever reason, or your life will die.'

"The warning was not out of thin air. Two nights later, at about two o'clock in the morning, I happened to look out of my bedroom window. The moon was shining brightly that night, and the front lawn shone like daylight. I stood There, immersed in this quiet and beautiful night, I suddenly felt something moving under the beech tree. When it came under the moonlight, I clearly saw that it turned out to be a calf as big as a calf. a huge, brown-haired dog, with broad, drooping jaws, a black muzzle, and a pair of huge protruding bones. It walked slowly across the lawn and disappeared into the shadows at the other corner. This terrible guard made me There was a chill in my heart, and I can guarantee that no thief will scare me like this.

"There is another strange thing to tell you. After I cut my hair short in London, I put a large lock of it in the bottom of the box. One day after I put the children to bed, I started to tidy up the furniture and tidy up my room. luggage. There is an old wardrobe in the room, the upper two drawers are unlocked, there is nothing in it, and the lower one is locked. After I filled the two empty drawers with clothes, I found that there were still many things missing. Then I thought that the third drawer might have been locked by accident, so I found a bunch of keys and tried to open it. As a result, I did open it. But you will never guess that I Found something in there. It was my lock of hair.

"I took the hair and examined it carefully. The rare color and density were exactly the same as mine. It made me unbelievable, how could my hair be locked in this drawer? Trembling, I opened my box and put the inside I dumped all my stuff out, and pulled my own hair from the bottom of the box. I put two locks together, and I dare say, they were exactly the same. Isn't that very strange? I don't know why, I put the strange lock The hair was put back in the drawer and I didn't mention it to the Rucastles because I didn't think I should have opened their locked drawer

"Soon the structure of the whole house formed a clear outline in my mind. There was no one living in the side room at all, and a door opposite the passage of the Toller couple's room could lead to the wing room, but this door was locked. Yes. But one day as I was going upstairs, I saw Mr. Rucastle come out with the key in his hand. It was quite different from his usual practice. He locked the door and hurried past me. care about me.

"It piqued my curiosity, so when I was taking the kids for a walk, we wandered over to that side of the house to see what was going on there. There were four windows in a row, three were filthy and the other was pulled. The shutters were drawn and closed, and while I was still pacing up and down I was as happy as ever to see Mr Rucastle approaching me.

"'Ah, Miss Hunter,' said he, 'I hope you will not think me rude as I passed you without a word, while I was busy with some business. '

"I reassured him, 'By the way,' I said, 'there seems to be a whole set of empty rooms up there, and one of the windows is closed.'

"He looked a little startled, and I noticed that he was shaken by what I said.

"'I'm a big fan of taking pictures,' he said, and I use those houses as darkrooms. Geez, look what an attentive young lady we've got.' He said jokingly, but he stared My gaze was definitely not joking, it was a sign of suspicion and annoyance.

"Well, Mr. Holmes, the more I suspect that there are dark secrets in this wing, the more I want to find out. Partly this is out of my curiosity, but I think it is more important out of a kind of A sense of responsibility, a feeling that something good will be done if you know the inside story of this place. I will pay more attention to the opportunities to enter the locked door in the future.

"I didn't find the opportunity until yesterday. Tell you, including Mr. Rucastle and the Tollers, they have been busy in this empty room. Recently, he has often drunk heavily, and last night he was drunk again." I was so drunk that when I went upstairs I found the key still in the door. The Rucastles were downstairs with their children, and I opened the door without hesitation and slipped in.

"In front of me is a small passage, which is neither paper nor carpeted. At the end of the small passage is a turn. After turning the turn, there are three doors side by side. Two doors are open on each side. There is a vacant room in each door. Dirty and dark, one has two windows, the other has only one, the windows are covered with dust, and the evening light shines on them even more dimly. The door in the middle is closed, and a thick iron bar is across the Outside, locked to a ring on the wall at one end and tied to the wall at the other end with a heavy rope, was a door that was also locked. The tightly locked door obviously belonged to the same room as the closed window outside. And judging from the faint light under the door, the room was not dark, and there was no doubt that there was a skylight inside to let in the light. I stood there, staring at the sinister door, wondering what was inside. Suddenly, the room There was the sound of footsteps, and from the twilight at the bottom of the door I saw a figure walking up and down inside. This caused a sudden surge of nameless fear in me. Mr. Holmes, I was so nervous that I lost control. I ran, feeling a terrible hand grabbing my dress from behind, and I ran wildly down the aisle until I was in the arms of Mr Rucastle, who was waiting outside.

"'Yes,' said he, smiling, 'it was really you, and I knew you had come in when I saw the door open.'

"'Oh, it scares me to death!' I gasped. By this time, I was out of breath.

"'My dear lady!' You must not imagine how affectionate and thoughtful his voice was, 'What frightens you so much, dear lady?'

"His voice sounded like he was coaxing a child, but he was already a little unnatural, and I had to be wary of him everywhere.

"'I was so foolish to go into that empty house,' replied I, 'that it was so dimly lit, so dreary, and so horrible, that I ran out of it, for it was terribly dead.'

"'Only so much?' He looked at me sharply.

"'Yeah, what do you think I saw?'

"'What do you think of me locking this door?'

"'I have no idea.'

"'Just to keep idlers out, do you understand?'

"'I want to know you won't let people in, I'm sure...'

"'Now you know. If you dare cross that threshold again...' At this point his smile changed to a grim smile, and his face became that of a demon. Staring at me,' I'll let You feed that mastiff.'

"I was so frightened that I didn't know what to do. I ran back to my room and lay on the bed blankly, trembling all over. Then it occurred to me, Mr. Holmes, if no one told me I can't stay here any longer if I have an idea. I'm afraid of the house and everything there. It would be great if you could go there with me. Of course, I can escape from there, but my curiosity The heart is no less than my fear. So I went to the telegraph office half a mile away to send you a telegram. When I came back, I approached the gate. I was afraid that the mastiff had been let out, but soon I remembered Toller was very drunk, and he was the only one in the family who could tame the animal, so it must not be let out. Sure enough, I slipped in and nothing happened. Sleeping, thinking of seeing you all at once, I It's hard to sleep happily. This morning, I asked for leave and came to Winchester, but I have to be back before three o'clock, because the Rucastles are not at home tonight, and I have to take care of the children. Mr. Holmes, you Can you tell me what all this means? What should I do?"

Holmes got up and paced up and down the room.

"Toller hasn't sobered up yet, has he?" With his hands in his pockets, the expression on his face was also very serious.

"Yes, I heard his wife tell Rucastle that there was nothing she could do with her husband."

"Well, the Rucastles aren't home, are they?"

"Yes"

"Is there a basement there, and, with a strong lock?"

"Yes, the wine cellar just meets the requirements."

"Miss Hunter, it can be seen that you are resourceful and brave, and you want to do a great thing. If I didn't think you were a very good girl, I wouldn't ask you to do it."

"I will do my best, what exactly do I have to do?"

"Mr. Watson and I will arrive at Copper Beeches at seven o'clock tonight, when the master and wife have gone out, and Toller is too drunk to do anything. Only Mrs. Toller has to deal with it. In case she does something bad, if you can It would be easy to lead her into the wine cellar and lock her in."

"I will definitely do it."

"Okay! Then we'll investigate the matter thoroughly. It can be said that there is only one plausible explanation for this matter: you were invited to the Copper Beech to impersonate someone, and this person is being imprisoned in the wing. Who was imprisoned, certainly Miss Alice Rucastle who went to America. No doubt you were chosen because your figure, height and hair color were exactly like hers. Her hair was Cut it off, probably because she has some kind of disease, so they asked you to cut your long hair, and you accidentally saw the lock of hair. And the man who was watching on the road must be her friend , and may be her fiancé. Because you are very like her, when he sees your back, from your smile and posture, he can convince him that Miss Rucastle is very happy and does not need his attention. As for that A dog that was let out at night to prevent them from seeing each other. One of the key points in this case was the temperament of the little boy."

"It has something to do with that kid too?" I exclaimed.

"Mr. Watson, as a doctor, if you want to know a child's character, you have to start with his parents. Isn't this theory the other way around? I often know a child to know the temperament of his parents. The child had a peculiarly cruel character, and cruel for cruelty's sake. Whether it came from his father or her mother, it was bound to be bad for the poor girl they had imprisoned."

"I am convinced that you are right, Mr. Holmes," cried Miss Hunt. "The recollection of many incidents has convinced me of your opinion, and let us go at once to the rescue of the poor man."

"The people we deal with are very cunning, and we must be careful. We can do nothing before seven, and we will be with you as soon as seven, and the mystery will be solved soon. Miss Hunter is anxious to get back." After hearing such thoughtful arrangements from Holmes, she left in a hurry."

At seven o'clock we reached Copper Beeches, and we recognized the house already, even if Miss Hunt was not smiling at us from the doorstep.

"You've got it all sorted, haven't you?"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from the ground. "That's Mrs. Toller in the wine cellar," she said. "Mr. Toller snoring on the kitchen rug. Here's his bunch of keys."

"You have done a good job!" praised Holmes. "Now lead the way, and let us see the end of this dark business."

We went upstairs, unlocked it, and went in along the passage until we came to the iron bar that Miss Hunter had spoken of.Holmes cut the rope, removed the iron bar, tried all the keys, but failed to unlock the lock, and there was no sound from within.Holmes' face darkened.

"I trust we are not too late, Miss Hunter, and you should not follow us in again. Now, Watson, let us shoulder it and see if we can open the door."

As soon as the two of us tried our best, the door immediately collapsed.The two of us rushed in. The room was empty, just a small bed, a small table and a basket of clothes. The skylight on the roof was open, and the prisoners had disappeared in the room.

"There is a ghost here," said Holmes. "He probably guessed Miss Hunter's intentions and moved his daughter away in advance."

"How did you transfer it?"

"From the skylight. We'll see how he did it right away." He climbed up the skylight. "Why, yes," he cried, "here's a ladder leaning against the eaves, and that's what he did."

"But that's impossible," said Miss Hunt. "There was no escalator here when the Rucastles went out."

"He came back again. I told you he was a cunning and insidious man. Now I hear someone coming upstairs. It must be him. Watson, get your pistol ready."

Before he finished speaking, he saw a man standing at the door with a thick stick in his hand.Seeing him, Miss Hunter gave a scream and crouched against the wall.But Holmes rushed forward and gazed at him calmly.

"Where did you hide your daughter, villain?"

"I'm the one to ask you that?" he screamed. "You thieves! You got me, didn't you? You're in my hands, and I'm going to make you look good." !"

After speaking, he turned and ran downstairs.

"He's looking for the dog," cried Miss Hunter.

"I have a pistol!" I said.

"Shut it first!" said Holmes, and we rushed downstairs. Before we reached the hall, we heard the barking of a mastiff, followed by a shrill scream and the horrible sound of dogs biting. .Toller staggered out the side door, waving his arms.

"Dear me," he cried, "whoever let the dog out, he hasn't eaten for two days. Hurry, hurry, before it's too late!"

Holmes and I galloped out immediately, Toller following us.I saw a mastiff, biting Mr. Rucastle's throat tightly. I ran up and shot it, and it fell down, with sharp white teeth, still holding Mr. Rucastle's neck .We had a lot of trouble separating him from the dogs and carrying him to the house.Although he was still alive, he was already bloody.We laid him down on the sofa in the living room and sent Tolle with a message to Mrs Rucastle.At this time, a woman walked in.

"Mrs. Toller?" cried Miss Hunter.

"Yes, miss. Mr. Rucastle came back and let me out before he went to you again. Well, miss, it's a pity you didn't tell me what you meant. For I could have told you and saved you the trouble." .”

"Ha!" said Holmes, looking at her. "It is evident that Mrs. Toller knows more about the matter than anyone else."

"Yes, sir, I do know. I will tell you all I know now."

"Well, let me listen. After all, there are still a few points in this matter that I still don't understand."

"I'll make it clear to you in a moment," she said, "that I could have done it a long time ago, had I only come out of the cellar sooner. If it ever comes to court, you must remember that we are all My friend, I am also a friend of Miss Alice's."

"She was never happy at home, especially when Mr Rucastle took a new love, and Miss Alice was even more so. She was not valued at home, but she managed to get by until she met Mr Fowler at a friend's house As far as I know Miss Alice has her own rights under the will, but she always puts her foot down and never speaks about it, leaving all matters to his father, who also knows that with her You can rest assured. But when a husband wants to squeeze in, he will definitely ask for what is legally due to him. So his father decided to prevent this. He asked his daughter to sign a document promising that after she married , he still had control over her money. Because he didn't agree, he tortured her until she got encephalitis. For six weeks, she was on the verge of death. But in the end she recovered. But already emaciated, and cut off Her hair. But it didn't change her boyfriend Fowler's mind! He's still loyal to her."

"Well, these circumstances have brought us to a clear picture of the matter, and I can deduce the rest: Mr. Rucastle then imprisoned his daughter."

"Yes, sir."

"Miss Hunter was specially invited from London again to get rid of Mr. Fowler's entanglement."

"Not bad at all."

"But Mr. Fowler was a persistent man, and he did what a good sailor must do: cordon off the house. Then he met you, and he somehow conquered you, making you think you interests are aligned with each other.”

"Mr. Fowler was indeed a kind and generous gentleman."

"So he manages to supply your husband with enough wine to keep you ready with an escalator when the master goes out."

"Yes, exactly."

"Thank you, Mrs. Toller, for helping us to clear up some nerve-wracking matters. The surgeon and Mrs. Rucastle are coming, and I think, Watson, that we had better escort Miss Hunter back to London, because Our legal status here is very questionable."

And so the mystery of the inauspicious house with the copper beeches in front was solved.Mr. Rucastle survived, but as a broken man, he was only able to survive under the care of his wife.Their servants also lived with them.Probably because they knew too much about the Rucastle family's past to prevent Mr. Rucastle from firing them.Mr. Fowler and Miss Rucastle applied for a charter and were married at Southampton the day after their departure.Mr. Fowler is currently holding a government post on the island of Mauritius.As for Miss Violet, I was somewhat disappointed by my friend Holmes.When she ceased to be the subject of his problems, he expressed no further interest in her.She is currently the principal of a private school in the Walsall area.We wish her success in her educational career.

(End of this chapter)